Openable ring for curtains

ABSTRACT

An openable curtain ring having a body in the form of a loop carrying two jaws at the ends of the loop. The jaws are adapted to clamp against a piping on the curtain. The curtain can be released by deforming the loop so that the jaws are moved apart. Releasable locking means are provided to maintain the jaws clamped against the piping. An embodiment is disclosed in which a hook is added to the ring for supporting a second curtain which hangs alongside the firstmentioned curtain.

United States Patent n 1 Kimel Nov, 26, 1973 1 OPENABLE RING FOR CURTAINS [76] Inventor: Eugene Kimel, 6, Rue M ercoeur, 75

Paris, France [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 194,638

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No 42,706, June 2,

1970, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 16/87.2, 24/137 R, 24/84,

24/255 R, 24/255 SL, 24/258, 24/260, 24/129 [51] Int. Cl E0511 13/02 [58] Field of Search 16/872, 87.4, 87.6,

16/878, 93 D, 94 D, 95 D, 96 D; 24/137, 84, 225, 256 R, 255 RS, 255 C, 255 SL, 249 SL, 258, 260, 241 SL, 241 R, 129

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,988,314 6/1961 Urich 24/137 X 1,666,298 4/1928 Norris l6/87.2 3,337,926 8/1967 Daugherty... 24/84 R 2,536,202 1/1951 Meyer 24/258 X 2,540,237 2/ 1951 Bevin 24/260 X 2,583,020 1/1952 Smith 24/137 2,711,555 6/1955 Hanson .i 16/872 1,878,497 9/1932 behr 24/137 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 123,444 2/1947 Australia 24/137 Primary ExaminerFra.ncis K. Zugel Assistant Examiner-Peter A. Aschenbrenner Att0mey1-1olman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT An openable curtain ring having a body in the form of a loop carrying two jaws at the ends of the loop. The jaws are adapted to clamp against a piping on the curtain. The curtain can be released by deforming the 'loop so that the jaws are moved apart. Releasable locking means are provided to maintain the jaws clamped against the piping.

An embodiment is disclosed in which a hook is added to the ring for supporting a second curtain which hangs alongside the first-mentioned curtain.

3 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTED m 20 I975 SHEET 10F 2 OPENABLE RING FOR CURTAINS This application is a Continuation-In-Part of my application Ser. No. 42,706, filed June 2, 1970, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to curtain rings of flexible or pliant material which are capable of opening so as to allow the ring to be mounted on the edge of the curtain with no need to employ a stitching thread or like means.

PRIOR ART Known openable rings comprise a development constituting a spiral which must be inserted in eyelets or holes in the curtain with the result that the rings cannot be secured without previously piercing the edge portion of the curtain to allow the passage of the rings. Alternatively, known rings constitute a loop whose ends are arranged in such manner as to resiliently pinch the curtain, but these pinching means have the drawback of harming the surface of the curtain where the pinching means exert their effect and are even liable to tear away the material of the curtain, and above all when the latter is of plastic material.

The invention provides a flexible curtain ring which avoids the drawbacks of known openable rings and comprises a substantially annular body in the form of a loop having end portions carrying jaws adapted to retain a selvedge piping formed on the curtain and locking means for maintaining the jaws in the retaining position thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus, as opposed to the arrangement of known rings employing a resilient pinching means, the clamping of the jaws on the edge portion of the curtain can be relatively light since the ring is maintained in position mainly by the retention of the selvedge piping, with the locking preventing the separation of the two jaws which act jointly to retain the piping. For this purpose, the jaws can comprise complementary prismatic or cylindrical grooves or rabbets adapted to surround the pipmg. I

The locking means can comprise above one of the jaws a locking lug adapted to engage in an anchoring cavity provided on the other jaw, with the movement necessary for engaging the lug in, or withdrawing the lug from, the cavity being achieved by deforming the loop of the ring out of its mean plane.

The locking can also be achieved by means of an auxiliary ring retained at one of the ends of the loop and adapted to resiliently pass through a constricted passage formed on the other end of the loop at the en trance of a retaining cavity.

In another embodiment of the ring according to the invention, the ring further comprises a hook portion for hooking a second curtain intended to extend alongside the curtain supported by the ring.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is an elevational view of an openable ring in position for retaining a curtain;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the separating movement for opening the ring;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of an openable ring according to another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view showing the separating movement for separating the branches of the loop for opening the ring;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a modification of the ring shown in FIG. 5 secured to an edge portion of a curtain;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the ring shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of an openable ring of the general type shown in FIGS. 1-3 and adapted to carry an additional curtain, and

FIG. 11 1 is an elevational view of a modification of the general type of ring shown in FIG. 8 and adapted to carry an additional curtain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The ring shown in FIG. I is of plastic material and has a ring body 2 in the form of a part-circular loop whose end portions have coating jaws 3, 4 each of which is provided with an element 6 which extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the ring and in which is provided a half-circular recess 7 adapted to surround a roughly cylindrical beading or piping 8 obtained by folding the edge portion of the curtain A onto itself about a thread, wire or cord 9. Above the element 6, the jaw 3 is provided with a lug II extending in a direction perpendicular to the lane of contact between the jaws 3,4. The end of the lug has a head portion 12 adapted to engage in the inner part of an anchoring recess 13 having a T section formed in the end portion of jaw 4 of the loop 2. In the locked position of the ring, the lug II abuts end face 141 of the recess 13. A curtain rail R extends through the body 2 as shown in section in FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the head 12 is inserted in and withdrawn from the anchoring recess 13 by deforming the loop out of its mean plane, the resiliency of the ring maintaining the loop 2 in its initial plane when the loop is no longer deformed. This guarantees a locking upon closure of the ring in the position shown in FIG. I, which corresponds to the retention of the curtain A.

The ring shown in FIG. 5 comprises a loop 20 also of circular shape and adapted to be placed on a curtain rail R. End portions 23, 241 of the loop 20 each carry a block 26 having a radial orientation and an inner ribbed face 27 so that the two coating faces 27 can clamp both sides of the edge portion of the curtain A under the beading or piping 8. The latter is retained above the blocks 26 in a cavity 23 defined by notches 29, 31 respectively provided in the end portions 23, 24. The notches are adjacent ear portions 33, 34 which extend inwardly of the loop portion 20. One of the portions 33 is extended at 36 in a roughly circumferential direction and defines a cavity 37 adapted to retain an auxiliary ring 33 which is capable of being forced into the cavity between the free end of the extension 36 and the inner concave face of the loop 20. This ring 38 has an elongated shape and an end which is capable of resiliently or elastically passing through a constricted passage 39 between the end of the ear portion 34 and a nose portion 41 extending inwardly from the loop in a region adjacent the end portion 24. The nose portion 41 and the ear portion 34 define a cavity 42 which retains the auxiliary ring 38 in a position in which the latter grips the edge of the ear portion 34, holds the two end portions 23, 24 together and retains the piping 8 inside the cavity 28 and consequently holds the curtain in position.

The extraction of the ring 38 from the retaining cavity 42 enables, as shown in FIG. 7, the two jaws to be moved apart for disengaging the ring from the curtain.

In the modification shown in FIG. 8, each block 46 is extended upwardly so as to define towards the interior a recess 47 in which a piping 8 of the curtain can be supported. In the locked position illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the piping 8 is thus surrounded and retained by the two recesses. Further, the opposed convex faces of the ear portions 33, 34 respectively comprise a projecting portion 48 and a notch 49 which interengage in the locking position so that there is no relative radial sliding between the two ear portions 33, 34 if the curtain is pulled in the vertical direction, which might result in the unlocking of the auxiliary ring 38. This could occur particularly when, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the opposed faces 45 of the blocks are smooth.

FIG. 10 shows a modification of the ring shown in FIGS. 1-3 in which like features and elements are designated by like reference numerals carrying the index letter a. The ring 1 further comprises a hook portion 50 for receiving an eye 51 of a second curtain B which hanges alongside the curtain A. For example, the curtain B may be of plastic material which lines, as it were, the curtain A of fabric. This arrangement is of particular interest in shower-bath curtains in which the plastic curtain B provides a waterproof inner screen and the woven fabric curtain A imparts a more attractive and richer appearance to the whole. The eye 51 of the plastic curtain can be provided with reinforcing washers or grommets 56 or other reinforcing means such as a thickening of the material around the eye 51.

The ring 1 is mounted on or released from the curtain A in the same way as the curtain ring 1 shown in FIGS. 1-3.

In FIG. 1 l, the illustrated ring is a modification of the type of ring shown in FIG. 8. Like features and elements are designated by like reference numerals carrying the index letter a. However, the nose portion 41 of the ring shown in FIG. 8 has been dispensed with and the configuration of the ear portion 34 is such that this ear portion 34 offers a slight resistance to the disengagement of the ring 38 therefrom. For example, as seen in FIG. 11, the right side of the ear portion 34 has a bulge 52 which, in cooperating with the end portion 53 of the ring 38, requires a slight upward force to be applied to the ring 38 when it is required to disengage the ring 38 from the ear portion 34.

The curtain ring shown in FIG. 11 further comprises a hook portion 54 for receiving an eye 51 of a second curtain B in the manner of the curtain ring 1 shown in FIG. 10.

It will be understood that certain features of the embodiment shown in FIGS. l-4 can be applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5-9. Thus, the radial blocks 26 in FIG. 5 could be replaced by the part-cylindrical jaws 7 shown in FIG. 1.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An openable ring of flexible material for a curtain comprising a substantially annular body in the form of a loop having two end portions, jaws carried by the end portions and movable between a spreadapart position and an inner position in which they are adapted to retain a selvedge piping formed on the curtain, and locking means for maintaining the jaws in the piping retaining position thereof, said locking means comprising two ear portions extending inwardly of the ring, an auxiliary ring having a first portion and a second portion, a first of said ear portions being adapted and arranged to retain the first portion of the auxiliary ring, the auxiliary ring being capable of releasably encompassing the ear portions and engaging a second of the ear portions by the second portion of the auxiliary ring and holding the ear portions in positions in which the jaws are in the piping retaining position, resiliently yieldable means for releasably maintaining the auxiliary ring in the ear portion-encompassing position and a hook portion extending outwardly from the annular body adjacent one of the jaws and for suspending a second curtain alongside the first mentioned curtain.

2. A curtain-suspending device comprising a member engageable on a curtain rod so as to be supported by the curtain rod, means defining a first jaw integral with said member, means defining a second jaw, the first jaw and second jaw being relatively movable between an outer separated position in which separated position the jaws allow the curtain to be placed between the jaws and an inner position in which inner position the jaws are adapted to retain a selvedge piping formed on the curtain, locking means for maintaining the jaws in said inner position for retaining the piping, said locking means comprising a first ear portion integral with the first jaw and a second ear portion integral with the second jaw, an auxiliary ring having a first portion and a second portion, said first ear portion being adapted and arranged to retain the first portion of the auxiliary ring, the auxiliary ring being capable of releasably encompassing the ear portions and engaging the second ear portion by the second portion of the auxiliary ring and holding the ear portions in positions in which the jaws are in said inner position for retaining the piping, resiliently yieldable means for releasably maintaining the auxiliary ring in the ear portion-encompassing position and a hook portion extending outwardly from said member adjacent one of the jaws and for suspending a second curtain alongside the first-mentioned curtain.

3. A curtain-suspending device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said jaws are movable to said inner position and to said outer position with respect to a plane in which the curtain is contained when the curtain is retained by the two jaws, means being provided for precluding relative movement between the jaws in a direction parallel to said plane when the auxiliary ring maintains the jaws in said inner position. 

1. An openable ring of flexible material for a curtain comprising a substantially annular body in the form of a loop having two end portions, jaws carried by the end portions and movable between a spread-apart position and an inner position in which they are adapted to retain a selvedge piping formed on the curtain, and locking means for maintaining the jaws in the piping retaining position thereof, said locking means comprising two ear portions extending inwardly of the ring, an auxiliary ring having a first portion and a second portion, a first of said ear portions being adapted and arranged to retain the first portion of the auxiliary ring, the auxiliary ring being capable of releasably encompassing the ear porTions and engaging a second of the ear portions by the second portion of the auxiliary ring and holding the ear portions in positions in which the jaws are in the piping retaining position, resiliently yieldable means for releasably maintaining the auxiliary ring in the ear portionencompassing position and a hook portion extending outwardly from the annular body adjacent one of the jaws and for suspending a second curtain alongside the first mentioned curtain.
 2. A curtain-suspending device comprising a member engageable on a curtain rod so as to be supported by the curtain rod, means defining a first jaw integral with said member, means defining a second jaw, the first jaw and second jaw being relatively movable between an outer separated position in which separated position the jaws allow the curtain to be placed between the jaws and an inner position in which inner position the jaws are adapted to retain a selvedge piping formed on the curtain, locking means for maintaining the jaws in said inner position for retaining the piping, said locking means comprising a first ear portion integral with the first jaw and a second ear portion integral with the second jaw, an auxiliary ring having a first portion and a second portion, said first ear portion being adapted and arranged to retain the first portion of the auxiliary ring, the auxiliary ring being capable of releasably encompassing the ear portions and engaging the second ear portion by the second portion of the auxiliary ring and holding the ear portions in positions in which the jaws are in said inner position for retaining the piping, resiliently yieldable means for releasably maintaining the auxiliary ring in the ear portion-encompassing position and a hook portion extending outwardly from said member adjacent one of the jaws and for suspending a second curtain alongside the first-mentioned curtain.
 3. A curtain-suspending device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said jaws are movable to said inner position and to said outer position with respect to a plane in which the curtain is contained when the curtain is retained by the two jaws, means being provided for precluding relative movement between the jaws in a direction parallel to said plane when the auxiliary ring maintains the jaws in said inner position. 